Princess
by thesoundofasmile
Summary: A look into the case that gave Prentiss her "Princess" nickname. The team races against the clock to save the latest victim in a string of child abductions in Colorado.
1. Chapter 1

_This one came about from a conversation I wrote for my other story. I never understood why people ran with the "Princess" nickname, since it never actually aired, so I set out to write something that explained it. I showed the finished draft to a friend who encouraged me to expand it and see if I could form a full story around it. This is what I came up with. It's set earlier in the show, a little while after Rossi joined the team._

_Happy reading =)_

* * *

With a strangled yell of frustration JJ rolled over and blindly reached for her phone in an effort to silence the ringtone that was piercing the otherwise quiet room. Unsuccessful at first in locating the phone, she instead cringed at the loud noise of her alarm clock hitting the floor, a few magazines and a bottle of water following suit. She finally cracked open an eye and located the loud and offending object before picking it up and hitting the button to answer the call.

"Agent Jareau," she answered groggily, bringing the phone to her ear. She rubbed at her eyes, trying to fight off the sleep as she did her best to listen intently to the apparently _very_ concerned police captain on the other end.

"Did you send over the files?" She paused briefly to listen to the captain's answer before responding. "Okay, yeah I'll have a look at the email then. Give me one second."

JJ navigated her way through the menus on her phone to open up the email the captain had sent. She scanned the contents quickly, noting the timeline of the abductions featured a very quick turnaround. And that meant getting the team out there as soon as possible before things took an even worse turn. She knew Hotch would agree.

"Captain? Yeah, I'll let our team know and we'll be there as soon as we can. In the meantime, keep us updated with any new developments via our technical analyst Penelope Garcia at Quantico."

After ending the call JJ took a second to mentally work through who to inform first. Hotch would need to know, obviously, but Garcia always needed more time to get ready… With a sigh she sat up, and decided to call Garcia first.

_"JJ?" _Garcia mumbled.

"Hey, Garcia. We've got a case."

_"Ugh, no fair. I was just dreaming about the most hunk-a-licious guy who was feeding me-"_

"Overshare, PG!"

_"Sorry, but it's early, or maybe it's late, I'm not even sure. What I **am** sure of is that I have not seen enough of the insides of my eyelids. Here we were having the most scandalous of affairs, and you had to go and interrupt that. Shame on you, Agent Jareau!"_

JJ let out a half-hearted chuckle. "Get your butt to Quantico, PG."

_"I'm getting up, I'm getting up," _Garcia groused. _"What monstrosities are going to be crossing my screens this time?"_ she asked wearily, knowing she wouldn't like the answer. She never did.

JJ paused and bit her lip before responding as she considered how much to reveal. Garcia was the type of person to appreciate having that extra hour of ignorance.

_"That bad?"_ Garcia said after hearing no immediate response from JJ.

"The unsub is abducting 6 year old girls," JJ said finally.

Garcia let out a long, heavy sigh and JJ's eyes closed in response. Cases with kids were always harder. _"You want me to call anyone?"_

"No, go ahead and get ready, I'll let the rest of the team know."

_"Okay, gumdrop. See you soon._"

"Actually, we're flying straight out and doing the briefing on the jet, I think."

_"One of those "time is of the essence" deals?"_

"Aren't they all?" JJ replied wearily.

_"I guess so. Take care of yourself, and the rest of my babies. I'll be in touch."_

"I will. Talk soon," JJ said before ending the call and immediately dialing the next team member.

Balancing the phone between her ear and shoulder as it dialed Hotch, JJ picked up the knocked over alarm clock, water bottle, and magazines before heading to her closet to grab an outfit.

_"Hotchner."_

"Hey, Hotch. We've got a case on a tight timeline. 3 abductions in 9 days, and a police captain who's run out of ideas."

_"You've reviewed the file?"_

"Quickly, I forwarded what I have to you, but it doesn't look good, Hotch."

_"When was the last abduction?"_

"Six hours ago."

_"You're letting the team know?"_

"Just got off the phone with Garcia, and I'll let the rest know now."

_"I'll call Rossi and then make sure the jet is ready for us, we'll brief en route. Wheels up in…an hour?"_

"Make it 90 minutes, no way Prentiss gets there earlier, even with the roads empty."

_"Okay. 90 minutes then. Thanks, JJ,"_ Hotch said quickly.

JJ hung up the call and set about making the next one. She selected Prentiss' entry in her phone and listened as it began to dial. Prentiss was the logical choice for who to inform next since she had the longest commute and would need the most time to get there.

_"Prentiss,"_ she grumbled, clearly irritated with being woken so abruptly.

"Hey, Em. We've got a case," JJ said softly, treading lightly with the still mostly asleep agent.

_"JJ?" _Prentiss said, clearly not having checked her call display, or fully recognized JJ's voice – a true testament to her exhaustion.

JJ bit her lip to stop from letting out a laugh. "Yeah, it's JJ."

_"We have a case?"_

"Yeah. Wheels up in 90 minutes, you okay to make it by then?"

_"Is there snow?"_

"What?" JJ asked, confused by her question.

_"Snow…white fluffy stuff that falls from the sky?" _Prentiss snapped, apparently irritated she wasn't understood the first time.

"Oh, uh, no, roads are clear as far as I can tell."

_"Mm'kay," _Prentiss mumbled. "_90 minutes should be okay then."_

"Pack warm, it's cold where we're headed."

_"Ugh. Hawaii," _she groaned.

"What?"

_"I want a case in Hawaii."_

"I'll see what I can do about that," JJ replied with a chuckle before hanging up.

Three down, and with Hotch letting Rossi know, that meant only two more to go. JJ scrolled through her contacts and selected Morgan next, putting the phone to hear once it began to dial.

_"Morgan," _he answered gruffly.

"Hey, Morgan, it's JJ."

_"Oh, JJ, please don't tell me…"_

"Sorry," JJ apologized. "Don't shoot the messenger, but wheels up in 90, we're briefing on the jet."

_"Ugh,"_ Morgan grunted. _"Don't they know we just got back a day ago?"_

"Doesn't who know?"

_"I dunno…unsubs everywhere?"_

"If that's an indicator of your level of alertness, please have a coffee before driving," JJ quipped.

_"If you were nicer maybe I'd bring you one too."_

JJ let out a chuckle. "Do me a favour and bring Em one? Timing's gonna be tight for her, and we both know she's not gonna be the happiest having been woken up rudely…"

_"Anything to ensure the safety of the team,"_ Morgan said with a light laugh.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just make sure you aren't late," JJ said, rolling her eyes. "Oh, and pack warm."

_"Ugh, we couldn't be going to Hawaii instead?"_

"I already promised Emily I'd look into that. Now get your butt moving. And don't be late," JJ reminded him.

_"I'll do my best, girl. See ya."_

"See ya," JJ said before ending the call.

With just Reid left to inform of the case, JJ dialed his number and began to throw warmer clothing into her ready-bag.

_"Hey, JJ," _Reid answered.

"Were you awake?" she asked, surprised by his apparent alertness.

_"Yeah, there was a documentary on the history of jazz on and I figured I should watch it."_

"Why?"

_"Why not? Jazz has played an important role in developing-"_

"Okay, let's pretend I didn't ask that," JJ interrupted. "We've got a case. We're briefing on the jet, and we're hoping to have wheels up in a little under 90 minutes. You need a ride?"

_"No, I'll drive in."_

"Okay. Oh, and Spence?"

_"Yeah?"_

"Pack warm."

_"Okay."_

"That means boots, Spence. Not just your Converse and an extra pair of socks."

_"I know, I know."_

"Good."

_"Thanks, JJ. See you in a bit."_

"Yeah, see you."

Hotch glanced at his watch, checking it for the third time in just a few minutes.

"Aaron, relax," Rossi said, shooting Hotch a pointed look. "She'll be here soon."

"We need to-"

"I am so sorry, guys," Prentiss said as she barreled onto the jet. "I think I hit every single damn light on the way here."

"It's all right," Hotch replied, scrutinizing Prentiss' wet hair, and overall slightly disheveled state, no doubt a result of her rush to get to the jet on time. "Let's get settled and go over what we know."

"I'll let them know we're ready for take-off," JJ said, rising from her seat quickly and heading toward the cockpit. She stopped momentarily to lay a comforting hand on Prentiss' shoulder before popping her head in to speak with the pilot.

"Here, Prentiss," Morgan said, handing over an extra-large coffee. "Something told me you wouldn't have time to grab one."

"You're a god, Derek Morgan," she said, accepting the cup.

"That's what they all say," he said with a wink.

Prentiss groaned in response but eagerly took a long drink from her coffee. "Mm. Thank you," she said sincerely. "I needed this."

"Okay let's go over what we know," Hotch said, bringing the team back on topic now that JJ had returned to her seat.

"Right," JJ began. "Sorry I don't have copies of the files for you all, but it was brought to my attention just before I called you all, and I didn't have a chance to get anything put together."

The agents all nodded in understanding, tight timelines like this often led to them having to go with faxed or emailed information.

"We're headed to Fort Collins, Colorado. They've got a series of abductions of young girls in the past nine days."

"How many?" Morgan asked.

"Three. The last girl was taken just under 8 hours ago."

"What's connecting them?"

"Similar ages – previous two were 6, most recent is 7 – all are Caucasian, and so far they've been dumped in the same area."

"Any signs of sexual assault?" Morgan asked.

"Not sure, we're still waiting on some information," JJ replied with a shake of her head.

"Do they share any other characteristics?" Reid asked.

JJ shook her head again. "No, both the previous victims were brunettes, one with brown eyes and the other with blue, but the latest abduction was a blonde with blue eyes."

"Doesn't seem to have a particular preference looks-wise then," Morgan offered. "Opportunistic offender?"

"Maybe," Rossi hedged. "Where were they taken from?"

JJ scrolled quickly through the information before answering. "Maggie Gunstrew was taken from a museum, Ava Smith from an outdoor concert, and the latest, Carly O'Donnell, was taken from the downtown shopping district."

"I'm assuming they were with adults at the times of their abductions?" Prentiss asked.

"All three were out with their parents," Hotch answered with a nod.

Morgan frowned. "Seems a bit bold, doesn't it? Snatching them with both parents nearby is risky."

"Yeah, but all of those spots have one thing in common," Prentiss said with a quick shake of her head. "Crowds and places for kids to get bored. It's not out of the ordinary for the parents to lose sight of their kid for just a moment, especially when they might wander off out of boredom."

The team nodded in agreement. They'd seen too many times what can happen in just a few seconds.

"Okay, but going back to Morgan's point – are these merely opportunistic abductions, or is the unsub watching them?" Hotch posed.

"If the unsub was watching them, don't you think he or she would find a better time to abduct them?" Reid pointed out. "I mean, it _was_ pretty high-risk to take them with both the parents there, like Morgan said."

"Maybe," Rossi said with a thoughtful expression. "But maybe the crowds _were_ the best opportunity."

"But if the age and being Caucasian are the only things linking these girls, the unsub wouldn't have to watch them, he or she could pick one out of a crowd and go from there," Prentiss theorized. "Unless we're missing something else that links the victims."

"Are we thinking male or female for the unsub?" Morgan asked after a moment.

"Without more information on the state of the bodies, I'd say it's hard to make that judgment," Rossi said. "But if there's a lack of a sexual component then we can't rule out our unsub being a woman, even if it is less common."

"Okay. We'll table that aspect for now until we get more information. When we land we're going to hit the ground running," Hotch began. "Morgan, Prentiss head over to see the M.E. and get some more insight on the victims – they're just finishing up their examinations now."

Prentiss' brow furrowed in confusion. "Just now?"

"Apparently there's a bit of a backlog due to being short staffed," Hotch explained. "Rossi, Reid, you head to the dumpsite and see what you can get from it. JJ, you and I will set up with the locals and get caught up with any new information, as well as coordinate any media concerns to do with the latest abduction."

The profilers nodded their understanding of their assignments.

"But for now, until we get more information I don't think there's much we can do, so let's see if we can get a bit of sleep – I know we're all still exhausted from the last case," Hotch added, his tone growing softer by the end. He glanced at each of them, noting the tired eyes and weary expressions. He was worried about his team – they were nearly running on empty and heading into an investigation that would require a lot to get done in a very short amount of time.

* * *

_If you have the time, do let me know your thoughts...I always appreciate reading reviews!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Goodness me, you all are gems. What a lovely response to the first chapter. Thank you so very much._

_Happy reading =)_

* * *

"Hi there," JJ said to the officer manning the front desk of the police station. "We're Agents Jareau and Hotchner with the FBI's Behavioural Analysis Unit. We're looking for a Captain Shefte?"

"Right, you're the Feds we've been expecting. This way," the officer said, standing up. "I'll take you to see Cap."

The officer led JJ and Hotch behind the desk and down a hallway that opened up into a larger room that was alive with activity. _The locals may have run out of ideas, but at least they hadn't given up,_ JJ thought to herself as her eyes took in the officers that were hard at work.

"Cap!" the officer that had led them to the room called out. "Feds are here!"

A man on the other side of the room stood quickly and made his way over to Hotch and JJ.

"Agents," he greeted them each with a handshake and a nod. "I can't thank you enough for coming out. We've run out of ideas and we've got another girl missing."

"Of course," Hotch said with a nod. "I'm Agent Hotchner, and this is Agent Jareau."

"Right, where are my manners? I'm Captain Shefte." He paused for a moment, taking in the two agents. "I don't mean any offense, but I thought your team was bigger…?"

"We've got agents already headed to the dumpsite and to the M.E.," Hotch answered.

"Right, you guys really hit the ground running. What do you need from me?" Captain Shefte asked. "Anything you need, I'll do everything in my power to get it for you."

"For now, some space to work, a whiteboard, and a map of the area if you have," Hotch answered.

"You got it. I'll have one of my officers get you that map, but we've got a whiteboard set up in the conference room, and you can set up shop in there."

"Perfect," Hotch said as the Captain opened the door to the conference room.

"Do you have anyone posted at the scene?"

"Yeah, we've got an officer up there."

"Could you let him know to expect a couple of our agents shortly?"

"Not a problem."

Captain Shefte took a second to call an officer over and give him instructions. "Anything else you need?" he asked, turning back to Hotch.

"Copies of your investigation to date. We didn't stop at our office before flying out here," JJ said apologetically.

The Captain relayed the information to the officer who nodded and gave a quick, "Sure thing, Cap" before disappearing to procure the requested documents.

"No problem, Dan will bring in what we've got. I'm afraid it's not much, though. We're still waiting on the M.E. report."

"That's fine. What are we looking at in terms of media attention?" Hotch asked.

The Captain shrugged. "No more than would be normal for a case like this. Bolts- Sorry, that's Captain Bolthausen from Communications, has been handling the briefings. We had the standard plea for each of the girls to be returned, but other than that Bolts has been giving them a whole lot of nothing. They're starting to get a bit antsy though."

"Have you held a press conference regarding Carly O'Donnell's abduction?" JJ asked.

"Not yet, we were waiting to see what you folks had to say, and for it to be live on the morning news."

JJ glanced at a clock on the wall. "That gives us an hour, Hotch."

"Captain, can you have an officer bring Agent Jareau to Carly O'Donnell's parents? She'll need to help them prepare for the morning segments."

"Sure thing. Gonna have them issue a plea for her return?"

"At this point it's our best means of getting her back," Hotch said with a slight grimace. "At least until we get more information," he added.

"Cap, Agents, here are the files and the map you requested."

"Thanks, Dan," Captain Shefte said. "Can you take Agent Jareau over to the O'Donnell's? And get on the horn and make sure Bolts is over there to help wrangle the media. Stick around there and get Agent Jareau caught up on what we know, okay?"

"You got it, Cap. I'm on my radio," the officer said, tapping the mic by his shoulder. "Agent Jareau?" he said, holding open the door for JJ.

"Keep me posted, JJ," Hotch said with a nod. "I'll meet up with you after I've had a chance to review the case."

"Got it," she said, returning the nod and then exiting the room.

"Okay, Captain. Where are we?" Hotch asked, sitting down at the table and opening up a file.

* * *

"Uh, did JJ say _where_ the bodies were dumped?" Rossi asked, looking out the window at the still dark landscape, but having no trouble distinguishing the foothills and the large mountains.

"Horsetooth Mountain Open Space," Reid replied, his eyes still focused intently on the map in his lap.

Rossi's eyebrow arched upward. "I'm no expert on the area, but I'm guessing that is a pretty vague description of the location."

"We're meeting an officer at the entrance to one of the trails who will take us to the exact location of the dumpsite."

Rossi nodded. "Right. So what are we looking at here?" he asked, nodding toward the sloped landscape to the west.

"It covers over 2,800 acres, ranging in elevation from 5,430 to 7,255 feet, and has over 29 miles of trails that connect to other state park trails," Reid rattled off quickly.

"That's a lot of ground to cover."

"Hopefully the sites will tell us more," Reid said with a shrug.

"How likely is it the unsub dumped the bodies at night to avoid running into anyone?"

Reid shrugged. "It's pretty likely, but I believe camping is allowed in the backcountry, so that's something to consider. Oh, look over there," Reid said, pointing toward a police car parked at the trailhead.

Rossi parked the SUV beside the police car before hopping out and slamming the door shut, Reid following suit shortly after.

"You the Feds?" an officer lingering near the trailhead called out.

"Yeah," Rossi answered, looking up and spotting the officer. "Agent Rossi," he said, offering his hand. "And this is Dr. Reid."

"Good to meet you. Got a message that you'd be arriving soon. I'll take you up to the scene."

"Uh, exactly how far "up" do we have to go?" Rossi said, chancing a glance at the steep trail and still falling snow.

The officer gave a small smile before leading them up the trail. "Not far up the trail, but it's a bit of a trek off the path after that thanks to the snow."

"Great," Rossi groaned. "I _knew_ I shouldn't have gone with the Italian leather," he said, glancing down at his shoes.

Reid smirked before turning his attention to the officer. "Is this the only access point for the space?"

"No, but it's the one that's closest to where we found the bodies."

"Is there vehicle access to these trails?" Rossi asked, noting the distance from the parking lot they'd already travelled.

"No, but that doesn't stop a few folks from bringing up ATVs and snowmobiles at night, depending on the season of course."

Reid took a quick peek back at the parking lot, scanning it with his eyes. "I didn't notice any security cameras in the lot."

The officer shook his head. "No, but the rangers do keep track of all the vehicles that come in – they're required to purchase permits."

"We should get Garcia pulling names off of that, once we have a profile we may be able to get a list of potential suspects from there," Reid suggested.

"I'm 'fraid that won't be much help, even in the winter months we get a steady flow of cars in and out of here. And if this guy's dumped the bodies at night, chances are slim we've got his tags on file."

"No one on duty at night?" Rossi guessed.

"'Course we have a ranger on duty, but generally the parking lot gets closed up at 9 or 10pm and they head up to check on folks making their way back down."

"Could someone have gotten into the lot after hours?"

The officer shrugged. "Sure, not that hard. Never been a problem, so we haven't had to have any security, but it's definitely possible."

They continued to make their way up the trail, and then began their trek to the dumpsite, fighting their way through the deep snow.

"Quite the distance to carry a body," Reid remarked.

Rossi nodded in agreement. "Definitely. He's either using a snowmobile, or is physically fit."

"Snowmobile would attract attention though, wouldn't it?" the officer asked.

"True," Rossi admitted. "Okay, so he's probably just physically fit. How far apart were the bodies found?"

"Not too far, maybe 50 or so yards."

"You found them both at the same time?" Reid asked.

"Yeah, a hiker stumbled onto the first one, and when we got officers up here to investigate it didn't take us long to find the second."

"Have you searched the area for any other victims?"

The officer nodded. "Yeah, we got a few teams up here to scour the area to make sure this guy hasn't been at this longer than we thought. Ah, here we are," he finished, gesturing to the taped off area in front of them.

"Whenever you're ready I'll take you to the next one."

"I thought you said it was only 50 yards or so," Reid said, wondering why they would need a guide for that.

"It is, but I figured you didn't want to stumble around trying to find it. I'm on duty up here anyway."

"Thank you, officer," Rossi said before turning back to taped off area. "Okay Dr. Reid, what do you see?"

"Isolated, and doesn't look like it's a popular spot for camping – probably too close to the trail to quite qualify as backcountry. So the unsub would've had the time, space, and privacy to dump the bodies without the worry of being seen if he dumped them at night. But it is a bit of a trek, even if it is just off a main trail, especially in this snow."

"Right. We said he's probably physically fit, and strong to be able to lug a body this far, even if it is a child's body," Rossi confirmed.

"Lack of forensic evidence isn't entirely surprising, with the near daily snowfall around this time of year any evidence not blown away or destroyed by wildlife would be destroyed by the conditions. Frankly, we're lucky the bodies were found at all given the conditions."

"So he either doesn't care, or knows he doesn't have to worry about hiding the body."

"Do you think he dumped both bodies at the same time?"

"I doubt it, it's a trek without carrying dead weight, and there's no way he'd want to spend that long here to do two trips," Rossi answered.

With one last glance around the scene, Rossi summoned the officer back to guide them to the next spot. An examination of the second dumpsite yielded no further insights, and so the group began to make their way back to the trailhead.

"These things are going to be worthless by the end of this trip," Rossi grumbled, looking down at his shoes once more.

"Even I wore boots, Rossi," Reid said with a boyish grin, holding up a foot that Rossi was surprised to see was clad in a boot and not his regular Converse.

Rossi glared in response and let out a string of choice words in Italian under his breath.

* * *

Morgan drummed his fingers on the front desk impatiently. They'd been waiting for 15 minutes already and hadn't heard so much as a peep since the admittedly frazzled looking M.E. had asked them to wait.

"Where the hell did she disappear to?" Morgan asked, irritation clear in his tone.

"Relax, Morgan. Hotch said they were backed up, remember?"

"Yeah, but they knew we were coming…"

"And they're just supposed to just drop everything when we get here? Come on," Prentiss said with a roll of her eyes. "Despite what many like to accuse us of thinking, the world doesn't revolve around governmental agencies."

"I'm just saying there's a little girl that's-"

Before Morgan could finish his sentence, the M.E. appeared in the doorway. "Agents, sorry for the delay. I'm Dr. Abby Logan. If you'll follow me," she said, turning and walking to the backroom.

The agents followed behind closely, anxious to get started on working the case.

"Sorry again for the delay. The office is swamped, and we're short staffed as it is, so you can only imagine how my last few days have been. But let's get started, I've unfortunately got quite a bit more to get done today."

"Okay," Morgan agreed readily. He was eager to get started on the case, especially given the ticking clock on the missing little girl. "Cause of death?"

"The same for both girls, asphyxiation."

"By strangulation?" he guessed, noting the bruising.

The M.E. shook her head. "Suffocation. The bruising you see is all post-mortem, aside from some on the arms."

"Probably to restrain them," Prentiss supplied. "Any sign of sexual assault?" she asked.

Again the M.E. shook her head. "None."

"What d'you think, Prentiss? Male unsub?"

"Likely," she agreed with a nod. "I can't see a female unsub inflicting this much anger and frustration on a child. And if the dumpsite is as remote as JJ seems to think it is, we're looking at someone strong enough to carry dead weight for a fair distance."

"Anything else?" Morgan asked, turning his attention back to Dr. Logan.

"Both girls' eyes were red and showed signs of irritation."

Prentiss' eyebrows rose in surprise. "Isn't that normal for victims of asphyxiation?"

"Yes, but this irritation presented a bit differently and on a hunch I took a closer look."

"Exposure to a chemical or gas of some kind?" Prentiss asked.

"I don't think so, the second victim…," she paused to check the name in her notes, "Ava Smith, had a pretty nasty bacterial infection _in_ her eyes, so it's probably not a gas or a chemical, unless it's being dropped directly into their eyes."

The agents frowned in thought. "Could it be from contacts?" Prentiss asked finally.

Dr. Logan considered the suggestion for a moment. "I suppose if they were dyed with food colouring or another foreign substance of sorts, then yes. It's unlikely prescription contacts would do that."

"Home dye jobs on contacts?" Morgan asked skeptically.

"You'd be surprised," Emily said. "Apparently it's all the rage these days."

Morgan shook his head and shrugged. "Did either wear contacts?"

Dr. Logan paused to check her notes. "No, and neither body was found with glasses."

"If he's forcing them to wear contacts, the eye colour is important to him," Emily suggested. "Maybe he's trying to recreate someone important to him…like a daughter?"

Morgan shrugged again. "Maybe. And if he's going to the trouble of trying to match the eye colour, he's particular about details, so we can probably say whoever he's trying to replace is a brunette since both girls were."

"But the last girl taken was blonde…" Prentiss reminded him.

"Right. Okay, but if he's willing to make them wear contacts, chances are he'd be willing to dye their hair too."

"Yeah, maybe. But let's not jump to conclusions on that just yet. I think we can rule outthat whoever he's trying to recreate doesn't have blue or brown eyes though," Prentiss added thoughtfully.

"It's an angle worth looking into," Morgan said with a nod. "Did you find traces of anything in the eyes?"

"Nothing yet," Dr. Logan replied. "We're still working on it."

"And you confirmed their order of death?" Morgan prompted.

"Yes. Maggie Gunstrew is your first victim, Ava Smith your second by a few days. Looks like this guy held them each for a few days before killing them."

Prentiss nodded. "Okay. Anything else you can think of we should know?"

"I can't think of anything, but I'll get in touch with you if I think of anything else. And I'll send you with a copy of my report."

"Thank you," Prentiss said sincerely. "Hope things slow down for you."

"You and me both."

The two agents headed out of the backroom and toward the building's exit, running over what they'd learned and what it revealed about the unsub. Hoping that the rest of the team was making some progress, they climbed into the SUV and headed back to the station.

* * *

_Thoughts on this one? If you have the chance, I'd love to read your impressions. 'til next time... :)_


	3. Chapter 3

_Back again, my friends. Sooner than expected thanks to a long weekend up here. Many thanks for all the support._

_Happy reading =)_

* * *

Morgan and Prentiss were the first to return to the station, and immediately brought Hotch up to speed on the M.E.'s report and their theory. He nodded his approval at their findings, adding in details he'd found out via the case files and Captain's observations. "Good. Give Garcia a call and see if she can give us a suspect pool based on those parameters. And then head over to the abduction sites and see what you can get there."

Morgan nodded. "You heard from Rossi and Reid?"

"Nothing yet, but apparently cell service can be a bit spotty on the mountain. They should be back soon."

"And JJ?" Prentiss asked, noticing the blonde's absence.

"She's with the O'Donnells, conducting an interview now that she's finished up the press conference with them. She's going to go through a few more things with them and then head back here."

"Okay. Have Reid or Rossi give one of us a call to update us on what they found. Might help us at the scenes," Morgan said.

Hotch nodded and turned his attention back to the large map he'd put up on the wall, using pins to mark the abduction and dump sites.

"Prentiss!" Morgan called out, noticing the brunette had disappeared.

"What?" she called back from the break room down the hall.

"Let's go, Hotch wants us to check out the abductions sites."

"All right, all right. Keep your pants on," Prentiss grumbled, coming out of the break room holding two cups of coffee.

"You sure that's what you want?" Morgan said with a wink. "Plenty of ladies I know like them off."

Prentiss shook her head and scoffed. "I'm sure. Too bad for you I'm not one of them."

"That for me?" he asked, gesturing to the coffee in her left hand.

"This? Oh no, this is for Hotch."

"Hotch? But I'm your partner!"

"And so gullible," she teased, a mischievous twinkle in her eye that accompanied a wide grin. "Here, consider it quid pro quo for this morning."

"Police station sludge is equivalent to Starbucks?" he said, an eyebrow rising in amusement.

"It's the thought that counts," she answered with a smile.

"Oh whatever, let's go. Where to first?"

"Let's follow the same order the unsub did," she suggested.

"Sounds good."

"Hey, gimme the keys," she said holding out her hand. "I'll drive. It'll give you a chance to drink your coffee."

"Gimme gimme never gets," Morgan teased, sticking his tongue out. She glared daggers at him, clearly unimpressed by his antics. "Maybe if you asked nicely…" he goaded.

"You're such a control freak."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Then let me drive."

"No."

"I rest my case," she said with a smirk.

He ground his teeth in frustration and exhaled heavily. "Fine," he relented. "But you have to clear the snow off, and if we get a flat you're changing it."

"That's what you think," she said with a wink, grabbing the keys he'd held out to her and heading to the parking lot.

Once they were settled in the SUV (that Morgan had cleared the snow off of grudgingly) and on their way to their first destination, Morgan grabbed his phone to call Garcia.

_"Emporium of all that is technologically awesome, how may I direct your call?" _

"Hey Baby Girl," Morgan said with a smile and shake of his head at her greeting. "I need you to whip up a list for us."

_"Us? Does that mean the illustrious and perpetually mysterious Agent Prentiss is with you?"_

"Hi, Garcia," Emily said, rolling her eyes in amusement.

_"I was beginning to think you two had forgotten about me. Or that all of this was an elaborate ruse to keep me from joining you on a vacation to Hawaii or somewhere else deliciously warm."_

"Aw, we'd never abandon you, Baby Girl."

"Yeah, our credit scores would be abysmal if we even tried," Emily said with a smirk.

_"My raven-haired warrior speaks the truth. Hotch already has me double-checking the employees and volunteers at the places, and running background on the families and friends of those poor girls. All of which are squeaky clean so far, by the way. But what can I do for you?"_

"We need a list of men in the Fort Collins area," Morgan started.

_"Sugar, I love you but that'll just halve the population for you. I'm gonna need a little more."_

"If you'd let me finish you would've heard that I also need you to narrow that down to Caucasian men, who have recently lost a daughter around the age of our victims."

_"And by lost you mean…"_

"Lost a custody battle, death, ran away, really any way you can think of."

_"Okay, that is sadly a pretty big list,"_ she said after a moment of silence filled with key tapping.

"Try taking out any whose daughters have brown or blue eyes," Prentiss added.

_"Okay, that'll take me a minute…"_

"A whole minute? Garcia, you've lost your touch," Prentiss teased.

_"Mere mortals, how you constantly underestimate me I shall never know. It's shorter, but it's still not going to be the best help to you fine folks."_

"That's fine, Baby Girl. Reid and Rossi should have more parameters for you when they get down off the mountain. Hopefully that'll give us a more manageable list."

_"Roger that. Anything else?"_

"Yeah, see if you can pull any surveillance footage from the abduction sites. The police haven't been able to get anything yet because there's a ton to weed through…"

_"I'll see if I can do anything about that."_

"You're the best."

_"Don't you ever forget it! Garcia out!"_

* * *

Reid and Rossi entered the police station, with Rossi still cursing under his breath about his ruined shoes.

"What do you have?" Hotch asked, looking up the file he'd been examining.

"Unsub is most likely a physically fit man," Reid answered. "It's unlikely a woman would be able to carry a body that far."

"Could the unsub have used a vehicle of some kind to dump the body?"

"It's possible, but not probable. A snowmobile is noisy and would attract unwanted attention, and there's no access for cars beyond the parking lot."

"Okay. Anything else?"

"He's familiar with the area – he picked a spot close to the trail, but well hidden, and knew evidence wouldn't last in the conditions," Rossi added.

"Okay," Hotch said, nodding. "Morgan and Prentiss just headed out to the abduction sites to see if they can get anything from them."

"What'd they get from the M.E.?" Rossi asked.

"They're thinking the unsub was or is a father."

Reid frowned. "What makes them say that?"

"Both girls died of asphyxiation, but suffocation, not strangulation."

"Less violent," Rossi noted.

"And the bodies were posed in such a way to indicate some degree of remorse as well," Hotch added, pushing the crime scene photos across the table. "There's also the lack of sexual assault to consider."

"Anything else?"

"Bacterial infection in the eyes. Prentiss is thinking he's making them wear contacts to change their eye colour to resemble whoever it is he lost."

"He's trying to replace his daughter?"

"That's what Morgan and Prentiss are thinking, yeah."

"Contacts wouldn't cause a bacterial infection, would they?" Rossi asked, turning to Reid.

"Actually, it's a growing trend among teenagers to buy non-prescription contacts and use food colouring and in some cases Kool-Aid to dye them different colours. It could cause a bacterial infection in some cases," he explained before pausing for a moment. "Did both girls have bacterial infections?"

Hotch checked the report from the M.E. quickly. "No, just Ava Smith. Maggie Gunstrew did show signs of irritation though."

"And it's not from a chemical, or maybe a gas?" Reid posed.

Hotch shook his head. "No, M.E. was sure of that."

"It's possible," Reid conceded. "And Garcia should be able to give us a list of men fitting those parameters," Reid suggested, turning his attention to the map.

Hotch pulled out his phone and dialed the technical analyst before hitting the button to put on speakerphone.

_"El Cap-i-tan," _Garcia drawled.

"Garcia, I assume you've spoken with Morgan and Prentiss?"

_"Yes, sir. Left me with a pretty long list, though what they gave me let me narrow things down a wee bit. What else do you have for me?"_

"This unsub is definitely physically fit – maybe a regular gym member, an outdoorsman, or holds a job that requires strength and endurance."

_"Okay...just give me the tiniest of a mo… Ah, still a few hundred names there surprisingly. Now that is just…ugh."_

"He'd need to have access to a vehicle, either personal or work," Reid added.

_"Chops off a few, but it's still not manageable for you guys."_

"They're all local, right?" Rossi asked, looking for confirmation. "You can eliminate anyone who's new to the area."

_"No newcomers in this list."_

"No one that works nights – we're pretty sure the bodies were dumped then."

Garcia let out a sigh. _"These guys are all over Fort Collins. Can Boy Genius work a little of his geographical magic? It would help."_

"I'll see what I can do," Reid answered.

"How are those searches going, Garcia?" Hotch asked, remembering the task he'd given her earlier.

_"Squeaky clean so far, sir. Employees all check out, and family and friends don't seem to be terribly nefarious, but I've got a few more to get through."_

"Okay. Thank you, Garcia."

_"All right, my pretties. As per usual I am at your beck and call. Ciao!"_

Hotch glanced at the clock on the wall. Time was working against them, as it always seemed to. Carly O'Donnell had been missing for 24 hours now, and they didn't seem to be any closer to finding her. They'd gained good insight and had the basics of a decent profile worked up, but it was unlikely it would lead to them finding her. They needed a break in the case, and unfortunately for them that meant more evidence to analyze…and Hotch wasn't keen to find another dead child's body.

After reviewing everything they'd learned and working out some of the geographical profile over the course of the afternoon, the team was still left with a list of suspects too long to be of any real help. By the time Morgan and Prentiss got back from visiting the abduction sites with no new leads to report, the agents were exhausted and lacking any forward progress in the case.

"So…we're stuck?" JJ asked with a grimace.

"Until we get new evidence…yeah," Prentiss replied sadly. "And that means finding Carly O'Donnell somewhere, but not in the condition we want..."

"Maybe I can narrow the comfort zone down a bit," Reid offered, moving to stand in front of the large map once more.

"No," Hotch said, halting his movements. "We're not doing anyone any good running on empty. Let's head to the hotel and get at least a few hours of sleep. We'll come back tomorrow with fresh eyes."

The agents each began to protest weakly, but having been up for nearly 24 hours straight, and having gotten little to no rest after their last case, their exhaustion got the better of them and they relented. With tired sighs, they made their way to the hotel to get a few hours of rest.

* * *

A little before 7am, just a few hours after the team had left for the hotel, Hotch's phone rang. "Hotchner," he answered.

"I know you and your team needed a bit of rest, but we've just found Carly O'Donnell," Captain Shefte said. Hotch could hear the pain and despair in his voice, telling him that they hadn't found her alive.

"Same spot?"

"Yeah, even though there were officers around there he dumped it 100 or so yards away from the others."

"Have you moved the body yet?"

"No, we figured you'd want to take a look first."

"I'll send some of my agents over. They'll be there as soon as they can."

* * *

"Looks like an escalation in the post-mortem attacks," Reid noted, his eyes flitting over the bruises and abrasions on the body.

"He's getting more frustrated," Morgan said plainly.

"But even with that frustration, there's still remorse in how she was laid out. It's definitely someone close to him that he's trying to replace," Reid added.

"She was a blonde," Prentiss noted with a frown.

Morgan mirrored her frown. "What?"

"I saw the photo from her parents. Carly O'Donnell was a blonde."

"But she's got brown hair," Morgan pointed out, gesturing to the body.

"Yeah, and that means the unsub dyed her hair. I guess this confirms he's looking for a brunette, and is willing to do whatever he has to in order to match that image."

"Yeah," he said with a sigh. "I guess so."

Prentiss squatted down and with a gloved hand lifted an eyelid. "Blue eyes again," she noted. "And redness beyond simple asphyxiation again. Consistent with the last two."

"Dumped in the same area as the last two despite the police presence around here…this place must have significance to him or he wouldn't risk it," Reid added.

"All right, well we know now he's looking for a brunette, with eyes that aren't blue or brown. Hopefully the hair colour will help Garcia narrow down that list," Prentiss concluded. "Let's go, there's nothing more we can get from here."

"Let's give Hotch a call, I don't think we can sit on our profile any longer. If he sticks to his pattern, this guy is gonna try to grab another girl soon – today probably," Morgan said, pulling out his phone as they made their way to the parking lot.

Prentiss and Reid nodded grimly. Time had run out for Carly O'Donnell, but worse still, some poor unsuspecting little girl was about to find her own clock counting down faster than she had ever imagined. And armed with their profile, the team was going to do their best to catch the bastard…they just hoped it would be _before_ he caused any more harm.

* * *

_So...any chuckles? Cringes? Smirks? Let me know what you thought... 'til next time, my friends._


	4. Chapter 4

_Okay, okay...enough with this "background details" business. Onto the more...exciting aspects of the story... ;)_

_Happy reading =)_

* * *

"All right, you heard the Agents and know what you're looking for. Let's see if we can catch this son of a bitch before he does any more damage. Stay on your radios, and let's have each other's backs, yeah?" Captain Shefte said decisively, rallying his officers for their task.

"You think we'll be able to catch him?" he asked quietly, turning to face Hotch as his officers began to disperse.

"I think it's our best chance to do so," Hotch replied firmly. "I trust the profile, and you trust your men."

The Captain nodded in agreement before dropping into a chair and slipping on a headset so he could listen to his men's radio chatter and jump in where necessary.

"Hotch, let's get out on the streets. We can't just sit here and wait."

"Morgan, we've got nearly every available officer out looking for this guy," Hotch argued. "Besides, someone has to man the tip lines. We're of more use here analyzing the information coming in."

"Come on Hotch, you and I both know we aren't likely to get anything from them. At least let Prentiss and I hit the likely targets and see if we can catch a break on this one."

Morgan looked at his supervisor hopefully. He _hated_ sitting around when he knew he could be out doing something. He knew the odds of them actually being the ones to stumble across the unsub were slim to none, but spending the effort to try still seemed a hell of a lot better than sitting around answering a phone.

Hotch's brow furrowed a bit further as he considered Morgan's request. "Fine. But only for an hour, two tops, and then I need you back here. Got it?" Morgan nodded in understanding. "And check in with me."

"You got it, Hotch," Morgan replied as he grabbed his jacket and the keys to the SUV. He pulled on his jacket as he walked quickly to the conference room where Prentiss and Reid were working through the geographical profile again together. He stepped in and found the two of them staring intently at the large map.

"Prentiss," Morgan said quickly. She turned around, surprise in her eyes. "Let's go. You and I are hitting the pavement to see if we can catch this son of a bitch in the act."

A look of determination entered her eyes and she nodded once. "Just let me grab my coat."

* * *

"Where do you think is our best bet?" Morgan asked, casting a quick glance over to Prentiss before swinging his gaze back to the road as he focused on navigating the snowy conditions.

"I'd say a playground, but the weather negates that, so the mall, I think. It'll be busy, even in this shitty weather, and that'll give him anonymity."

"Not the movie theatre?"

"Reid and I checked what's playing – no movies suitable for kids in his preferred age range, so chances are slim he'll have any kids to grab there."

"Ah, okay. So the mall makes sense, but the question is: where _in_ the mall is he going to be looking?"

"If it were me," she began, but stopped abruptly when Morgan shot her a look. "Oh, don't pretend like you've never posed that question to yourself in your head," she said with a roll of her eyes.

Morgan looked back to the road, a sheepish expression forming on his face.

"If it were me," she repeated, putting a little more emphasis on the words and looking at Morgan knowingly, "I'd want to be in an area where the kids are already somewhat separated from the adults, so it's less likely they'd notice their disappearance."

"Okay," Morgan said slowly, agreeing with her logic. "But where in a mall are kids of that age away from their parents? Especially considering all the media attention on the abductions."

"Easy," she said. "The food court."

Morgan's eyebrows jumped up in surprise. _That doesn't make any sense,_ he thought to himself. "Won't they be _eating_ and therefore at a table with their parents?"

"Kids eat fast, and then they get bored," she explained. "Which is why a lot of malls have installed mini play areas, a lot of which are supervised. The parents get to enjoy their meal, don't have to deal with a kid whining about how he or she is bored, and they know the kid isn't terribly far away."

"I don't suppose you've checked if this mall has such an area?"

"Well no, but I have a feeling Garcia will be able to help us out with that," she said while pulling out her phone. "Hey Garcia," she said after being greeted with the analyst's usual level of enthusiasm. "Can you check and see if the local mall here has a play area in the food court?"

_"Oh sweetcheeks, do you not understand the breadth of my power and influence? That's easy peasy lemon squeezy,_" Garcia rattled off. The agents heard her fingers tapping quickly on her keys. _"All right, local mall's actually just had a major reno to their food court last year. And let me tell you, it was definitely needed, the pictures are downright frightful, I mean honestly who would let their-"_

"Garcia," Prentiss interrupted, reminding her to get to the point.

_"Right! Sorry, okay it looks like they put in an area for the rambunctious little ones to run around and play in when they did that reno. Far more elaborate than any playground I played on as a kid, I'll tell you that."_

"Baby Girl, you actually played outside as a kid? And here I thought you would've been glued to any and all forms of technology," Morgan teased.

_"Oh, my thunderous warrior, you would be sadly mistaken. I was quite the outdoorsy type as a child. I had hippies for parents, remember?"_

Prentiss let out a light laugh. "Thanks, Garcia," she said before ending the call.

"Okay, Prentiss. Looks like you were right. We'll scope out the play area and see if we can't catch this guy before he takes another kid."

* * *

"Garcia wasn't kidding, that's a pretty sweet play area," Morgan said after whistling in appreciation when he spied the elaborate structures and activity zones in the distance. "I'd never leave it if I were a kid."

"Not even for chocolate?"

"I've never been a big fan of chocolate," he said offhandedly. Prentiss blinked in surprise. "Oh, right. I forgot all o' you women _love_ chocolate," he drawled with a wink and a grin.

She arched an eyebrow. "I'm going to pretend, for your sake, that you didn't just lump together the entire female population."

"You telling me you don't love chocolate?" Morgan challenged.

"That's beside the point," she said smoothly.

Morgan shook his head in disbelief but didn't argue further. Growing up in a house with 3 women had taught him there are some fights you just can't win, and definitely aren't worth fighting.

"Okay, if not for chocolate, then what about ice cream?"

Morgan let out a light laugh. "Yeah, for ice cream I would've," he admitted.

The agents fell into silence as they reached the play area and began to scan the crowd, looking for that one guy paying a little too much attention to the kids.

"Let's split up," Prentiss suggested. "You cover that side, I'll work my way through this side."

Morgan nodded. "Sounds good. Be careful though."

She sighed lightly but nodded. "You too. Meet back here in 15?"

"Got it. Holler if you run into any trouble."

She nodded once more and then headed off to the right to work her way through the crowd as Morgan turned to the left and began to scan the crowd on that side.

* * *

"STOP! FBI!" Morgan heard Prentiss call out from across the food court. He immediately whipped his head around toward the sound of her voice. He began to run toward her, noticing she was sprinting in the opposite direction and out of the food court, weaving through a busy crowd. With his longer strides Morgan knew he could reach her quickly, if the people would only get out of his way.

"MORGAN, GET THE GIRL!" she yelled out, not breaking stride. He reached where she'd been when she yelled initially and glanced around quickly, finding a little girl dressed in a pink dress crying hysterically.

"Hey there," he said softly, bending down to her level. She shied away from him immediately, clearly having been spooked by her experience. "Don't worry, I'm a police officer, I'm here to help you," he said quickly, praying that someone could watch over her while he went after Prentiss. He _really_ didn't like being separated from his partner – that _never_ ended well.

The girl looked up at him with large green eyes and a quivering lower lip, and Morgan could tell the sobs that had stopped were threatening to start again.

"Here," he said, holding out his badge. "This proves I'm a police officer."

She ghosted her fingers over it for a second and looked intently at it before she jumped into his arms. He immediately stood up and looked in the direction that Prentiss had run, while holding the girl tightly. Morgan squinted and saw Prentiss still moving quickly.

Suddenly his ears were assaulted by the loud screeches of a woman.

"MAYA!" The girl's head turned quickly and when her eyes found the woman's she began to squirm to be put down. Morgan put her down and watched as the girl jumped into the woman's arms.

"Ma'am," he said quickly. "You're her mother?"

The woman nodded fervently. "Yes, yes I am. Oh god. I thought- Thank y-"

"I need you to stay here. My partner's in pursuit of our suspect and I have to go. But _stay here_, okay?"

She just nodded, and thankfully one of the officers from the station that they'd spoken to upon their arrival stepped up. "I'll stay with her, Agent," he said, noticing the credentials in the girl's hands.

Morgan nodded and took off in the direction Prentiss had been pursuing the unsub. He pushed through the crowd, weaving in and around oblivious people, trying to pick up speed.

Suddenly a loud bang filled the air. Morgan felt his heart drop. He knew that sound. It was a gunshot.

* * *

_A little more action this time...what say you, fine folks? Do let me know if you have the chance, even a few words can be rather motivating. And a round of thanks to those who left reviews on the last chapter!_


	5. Chapter 5

_I see you all rather enjoyed that cliffhanger... Let's dive right in, shall we?_

_Happy reading =)_

* * *

Morgan's legs began to move faster at the sound of the gunshot, but his progress was impeded by the inevitable panic that took over the crowd. People began to run frantically, dropping their bags, and pushing and shoving against one another desperately. The comfortable hum of the crowd had shifted to panicked yells and screams, deafening Morgan's ears. He'd lost sight of Prentiss moments before the gunshot sounded, but had kept running, hoping to catch a glimpse of her or the unsub.

"MOVE!" he yelled to the people in front of him. "CLEAR THE WAY!" he yelled out another plea for the crowd to get out of his path. He was confident he could reach Prentiss and the unsub, if only the people would _move_.

BANG. BANG.

Two more gunshots pierced the air and he strained to pick up more speed. He weaved through the crowd as quickly as he could, but thought darkly that it just wasn't fast enough. He'd seen what could happen to partners who separated first hand. Reid still wasn't quite the same.

Legs pumping, and sucking in air quickly, he skidded to a stop suddenly when he realized the mall's walkway split off left and right. Morgan let out a yell of frustration, realizing he'd lost Prentiss and the unsub in the crowd of panicking people. He pulled out his phone to let Hotch know what happened when suddenly he heard a breathless voice call out to him.

"Morgan."

He spun around and spied Prentiss on the ground, leaning against the wall, holding her side just below her vest and breathing deeply.

"Prentiss, what happened?" he asked quickly, checking her over for injuries. His eyes were immediately drawn to the blood running down her face and neck. She grimaced as she shifted slightly and his eyes jumped down to her hands where he noticed red seeping out from underneath them. _Shit. I thought she was just winded¸ _he thought to himself, panic blooming in his chest.

"Bastard shot me," she ground out, clenching her jaw tightly. "He got lucky when he shot behind him blindly. He missed on his first shot, but the second and third hit me."

"Both?"

"Yeah," she replied, squeezing her eyes shut briefly in an effort to deal with the pain now coursing through her body. "First one grazed my cheek and I stumbled a bit and lost my footing. That's how his third shot hit me – I was in the process of falling when it hit me in my side."

"You get a look at him?" he asked, hoping they could at least get a description.

She shook her head. "Not his face. He's white though, maybe 6 feet, athletic obviously, and brown hair. But I know the girl saw him."

"Let me see," Morgan said, stepping forward to pull her hand away from her side.

Prentiss swatted his hand away. "I'm fine, did you get the girl?"

"She's with her mom and an officer," he said, moving his hands to inspect the wound on her head. _Just a graze_, he thought as he let out a sigh of relief.

"YOU LEFT HER THERE?" she said loudly, wincing as the movement that accompanied her outburst clearly agitated the wound in her side.

"What the hell did you expect me to do? Let you go after the unsub all alone?"

"That's _exactly_ what I expected you to do. I had him."

"Sure you did. That hole in your side, just a mere flesh wound, right? And that blood running down your face isn't serious, is it?"

She glared at him. "Help me up, would you?"

"I'm not helping you get anywhere but onto a stretcher and into the back of an ambulance, Prentiss. You got hit by two bullets."

"Morgan," she said, clearly irritated. "You can call me an ambulance, but we're going back to that little girl _right now_. We've got an unsub to catch."

"You think you can actually make it all the way back there?" She just glared in response. "Fine," Morgan said, offering her a hand to get up. "But if you start to fade on me, I'm sweeping you off your feet."

"You're really taking Garcia's nicknames seriously there, aren't you?"

"You saying I'm not a noble gentleman all of the time?"

"Shut up and let's get moving," she grumbled as she started to shuffle forward quickly.

* * *

"Emily!" JJ exclaimed as she spied the brunette making her way into the police station. "Aren't you supposed to be getting checked over at the hospital?"

"I did," Prentiss replied gruffly. "And got bandaged up and then I asked _very_ nicely to be discharged."

Morgan scoffed. "Nicely, my ass. I think you made that intern seriously consider a change in career."

"Not my fault he doesn't have what it takes."

"She left AMA, as you might've guessed," Morgan said to the team, who had looked to him for an explanation.

"Where are we at with the little girl?" Prentiss said brusquely, her focus not having wavered from catching the unsub despite being shot. Twice.

"Maya," JJ supplied.

"What?" Prentiss said in confusion.

"Her name is Maya Robertson."

"Oh," Prentiss replied softly. "I know she got a look at the guy, so have we gotten anything from her?"

JJ shook her head. "She's…traumatized. She won't say a word to anyone, not even her parents."

Prentiss swore under her breath in frustration.

"Maybe Prentiss and I should give it a go," Morgan offered. "I made a connection of sorts with her right after it happened, and she's likely to know that Prentiss was the one chasing after the bad guy."

Hotch looked toward Rossi. "It's worth a try," Rossi offered with a shrug. "Without a description from her we're back where we started because Garcia's still sorting through the surveillance footage. She isn't too optimistic though…says the mall is pretty low tech that way."

"Okay," Hotch said with a nod toward Morgan and Prentiss. "See if you can get a description of the unsub, and anything he might have said."

"Got it. We'll do our best," Morgan said confidently.

* * *

"Mr. and Mrs. Robertson?" Morgan asked softly.

Their gazes jumped up from their daughter's form to meet the agent's eyes. "Yes?" Mrs. Robertson answered wearily.

"I'm Agent-"

"Morgan, right?" Mrs. Robertson interrupted. Morgan nodded in confirmation. "You're the agent from the mall."

"Yes, ma'am," Morgan said with a nod. "And this is my partner, Agent Prentiss," he said with a quick gesture to her.

"My wife tells me you're the one who was chasing that asshole?" Mr. Robertson looked for confirmation, his gaze jumping to Prentiss.

She nodded. "Yes, sir."

"They tell me he got away?"

"Yes, sir," Prentiss said regretfully. "But we're hoping to be able to get a description of the man from your daughter that we can distribute to the public."

"The other agents already tried, but she won't speak to anyone, not even me or her mother," Mr. Robertson explained sadly.

"All the same, we're hoping she'll speak with us," Morgan said.

"Anything to catch this bastard," Mr. Robertson said firmly.

Morgan nodded and let Prentiss take point in the interview. She'd already demonstrated on previous cases the warmth, compassion, and patience required for interviewing child victims.

"Hi Maya," she said softly, struggling to sit down on the ground beside her.

"Is she all right?" Mrs. Robertson whispered to Morgan, noting Prentiss' difficulty and the bandage on her cheek.

"She's okay," he replied without breaking his focus on Maya. "She was shot while pursuing the suspect, but she'll be fine."

Both parents inhaled sharply at that piece of information. Whether it was because of the realization that the man who tried to take their daughter had a gun, or that Prentiss had taken two hits while trying to catch him, Morgan wasn't sure.

"My name's Emily," Prentiss said softly, now having situated herself on the ground beside Maya, who was absently drawing on a sheet of paper. Morgan watched as Prentiss picked up a crayon and a sheet of paper. "Do you mind if I draw with you?" she asked gently.

Maya looked up briefly and gave Prentiss a quick scrutinizing glance over before shrugging.

Prentiss gave her an encouraging smile and began to draw. Neither said anything for 10 minutes as they both continued to draw, with Prentiss looking up occasionally to sneak a peek at Maya's expression and body language as she coloured.

"Agent Morgan, I'm not sure this is-" Mrs. Robertson began.

"Just give her a few more minutes," he said softly, noticing that Maya's body language had shifted from fear and anxiety to portraying a more relaxed stance. Mrs. Robertson nodded and sat back down on the couch in the room, her husband following suit.

"Are you finished?" Prentiss asked, noticing that Maya had begun to stare at her. Maya nodded once in answer to Prentiss' question. "Can I see?"

Maya's eyes dropped to her now completed picture and she picked it up before handing it over to Prentiss.

"This is very colourful," Prentiss said warmly with another smile. "What's this here?" she asked, pointing to a brown figure on the paper.

"Teddy bear," Maya mumbled shyly. Her parents gasped at their child's words.

"Does he have a name?"

"Teddy," she said simply.

Prentiss chuckled softly. "A teddy bear named Teddy?" Maya nodded. "Well that certainly makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?" she said with a reassuring smile.

Prentiss took a moment to look over the picture a bit more. "Is this you?" she asked while pointing to a pink figure beside the bear.

"I'm a princess," Maya said quietly, with a tinge of pride in her voice.

"I'll say you are," Prentiss said. "You were wearing a princess dress earlier, weren't you?"

Maya nodded quickly. "Yeah, Daddy bought it for me for my birthday party on Friday."

"A birthday party? Wow, that's cool. Are you having your friends over for it?"

"Yeah, Jenny and Laura and Annie and Maddy are coming over for a tea party," Maya said excitedly, clearly having momentarily forgotten her harrowing experience.

"A real tea party?!" Prentiss exclaimed, putting as much enthusiasm in her voice as she could.

"Yeah, we're gonna have tea, and cookies, and then have birthday cake and I'm going to show them my room and we'll play with my toys and I'll get to open my presents," Maya said, a smile finally creeping onto her face.

"Wow. That sounds like a lot of fun. You are a very lucky girl."

"Have you ever had a tea party?"

"I have," Prentiss said with a smile, her eyes never leaving Maya's. "When I was a little girl, I had one for one of my birthdays."

"You did?"

"Yep. I had a few of my friends over and we got to use a real tea pot and tea cups. And you know what else?"

"What?" Maya asked, her eyes widening in wonder. Prentiss had clearly gotten through to her.

"I had a princess dress just like yours."

"You did?"

"Yep. But it wasn't as pretty as yours."

Maya blushed slightly. "Do you have one now?"

"I do, but I don't get to wear it a lot."

"Why not?"

"Well, because chasing bad guys is hard in a dress," Prentiss said with a teasing smile.

"You chase bad guys?"

"Yeah, I'm a police officer."

"Like Agent Morgan?" Maya asked, sparing a quick glance over to the agent.

"Exactly like Agent Morgan," Prentiss confirmed. "In fact, he's my partner."

"What's a partner?"

"It means we look out for each other, and keep each other safe, and always protect one another."

"Did you chase the bad guy today?"

"Yeah, but he got away."

"Oh," Maya said sadly, her eyes dropping to the paper in front of her.

"But there's a way we can still catch him."

"There is?" She looked up hopefully.

"Yep. And you can help us."

"I can?"

Prentiss nodded. "Do you remember the bad man from earlier today?"

Maya's eyes slammed shut and she nodded as her lower lip begins to tremble.

"Hey," Prentiss said softly, placing a soothing hand on Maya's back, who didn't flinch away from the contact. "Don't be scared. Look at Agent Morgan," Prentiss said. Maya looked up at him. "Does he look like the kind of guy who would let anything bad happen to you?" Maya shook her head. "Exactly. So don't worry, your parents and Agent Morgan and me are all going to protect you."

"You will?" Maya said unsurely, flitting her eyes between Morgan and Prentiss.

"Oh, you bet. You have a birthday party to get to, princess," Morgan said with a reassuring smile and a wink.

"Okay," Maya said with a sigh of relief.

"Now, you said you remember the bad man from earlier. Do you think you could help us out so we can save other little girls from the bad man?"

Maya nodded. "I'm brave now," she declared, earning a proud smile from her parents.

"Okay, can you close your eyes for me? Good," Prentiss said, taking Maya's hands. "Now what's the first thing you can remember?"

"I was waiting to climb up and slide down the slide."

"Are there lots of people around you?"

"No," she said with a shake of her head. "Only a boy in front of me, he's already climbing up."

"Okay, so you were waiting to climb up and then what happened?"

"That man was behind me and asked me what I was doing. I told him I was waiting to slide down the slide and he said that he could take me to the other bigger slide and I wouldn't have to wait."

"What does the man look like?"

"His skin looked like yours, not Agent Morgan's, and he had brown hair." _So far consistent with Emily's description_ Morgan thought to himself as he jotted down the details in his notebook.

"What about his eyes?" Prentiss asked softly, her voice comforting and soothing.

"They were green," Maya said quickly.

_Distinctive…that's good for us _Morgan thought as his eyebrows rose slightly in surprise.

"Is he old like me?"

"No, he's older."

"Like a grandfather?"

"Not that old," Maya said with a shake of her head.

Morgan nodded gently as he wrote down the detail in his notebook. _Okay, so we were right about the age in our profile._

"Okay, good. What else do you remember?"

"His hands were scratchy. They scratched me when he grabbed me."

"What does he smell like?"

Maya thought for a moment before answering. "Wood."

"Like a forest?"

"No, like Daddy's new desk."

Morgan frowned in concentration. _Works with his hands and smells like wood…maybe carpentry? _he mused silently while writing the details down.

"Okay, that's really good, Maya. Do you remember anything else about him?"

"He had a funny mark on his face."

"What did the mark look like?"

"Can I draw it?"

"Sure," Prentiss said, handing her a crayon and a blank sheet of paper. Both agents watched as she drew a large circle, and two eyes, a nose, and a mouth and then grabbed a red crayon before drawing a jagged mark where his cheek would be.

"Okay. Do you remember anything else about him, Maya?"

"He talked funny."

"What do you mean?"

"He didn't sound like you or my parents. He sounded different."

"Like he was from another country?"

"Yeah. He kind of sounded like Miss Connolly at school."

Prentiss looked toward Maya's parents. "She's Irish," Mrs. Robertson supplied, answering the silent question.

Prentiss smiled as she turned her attention back to Maya. "Thank you, Maya."

"Did I help?"

"Definitely," Prentiss said with a smile. "You did a really good job. Now, I think that you have a princess tea party to get ready for, don't you?"

"Yeah!" Maya said excitedly.

"Well then you better get home with your parents! You wouldn't want to miss your own party, would you?"

"No! Mommy, Daddy, let's go home!" Maya said, as she jumped up and ran over to her parents.

"Oh, one more thing, Maya," Prentiss said as she quickly grabbed a crayon and scrawled something on the sheet of paper she'd been drawing on. "Happy Birthday," she said, presenting her with the drawing she'd completed of random figures and colourful accents, and added a large "Happy Birthday" across the top.

"Thanks, Emily!" Maya said, throwing her arms around Prentiss tightly. Prentiss winced at the tight hold and pressure on her wound, but gave the girl a pat on the back before letting her go back to her parents.

"You can take her home now," Morgan said to Mr. and Mrs. Robertson. "And we'll send an officer to your house until we catch this guy."

"Thank you, Agent Morgan. Thank you both so much," Mrs. Robertson said, giving him a quick hug.

"Not a problem, ma'am. Take care of that little girl," Morgan finished with a smile and watched them leave.

Morgan's mind began working quickly. They had more information now, much of it holding significant potential to narrow down Garcia's list owing to its uniqueness. Green eyes and a distinctive scar on his cheek would surely be enough to give them a name…

* * *

_Heaps of thanks for the reviews, my friends. Every one brought a smile to my face._

_So...how'd you like it? Did you suspect Emily got shot? Did you find her and Maya's conversation utterly adorable? How are we feeling about the unsub coming into focus? Do let me know..._

_Oh, and for those who were curious - the conversation here between Maya and Emily was actually going to feature in my other story, but I rolled it into this story when it was suggested to me._


	6. Chapter 6

_Well my friends, here's the concluding chapter! Many thanks for your kind words and support - it's been nothing short of lovely! Finally you get to see how the somehow infamous nickname came to be. Do let me know what you think of it - and the story overall - if you have the chance!_

_Happy reading =)_

* * *

Morgan watched as Maya and her parents made their way out of the room. The little girl was significantly less burdened, and even seemed excited and happy again. He turned to face his partner who was struggling to get up from the floor, where she'd conducted the interview. He stepped over to her quickly and offered her a hand.

"Thanks," she said, grabbing his hand and letting him help her up. She winced when she was finally upright again, bringing her hand to gingerly hold her bandaged side.

"You good?" Morgan asked, frowning at her obvious pain and discomfort.

"I'm fine," she said quickly, dismissing his worry. "Let's call Garcia and see if we can get a name for this unsub."

"I'll grab the others," he said, heading toward the door.

_"YOU AND I ARE GOING TO HAVE WORDS, MISS PRENTISS!"_ Garcia screeched when the call connected.

Prentiss winced at the volume and pitch of the tech's voice. "Garcia, we've got a few more parameters for you to-"

_"No way, lady. I have to find out via hospital records that you were SHOT. TWICE! And now you expect me to do you a favour?!"_

"Uh, well..."

_"Well nothing, missy! When you get back, you and I are going to sit down and I'm going to explain my policy of injuries and life-threatening situations to you."_

"Aw, come on Baby Girl, give her a break," Morgan said as he entered the room again, followed by the rest of the team.

_"Fine. But this is **so far** from over. What can I do for ya?"_

"Garcia we've got a few more parameters to narrow down that list you've got," Prentiss said.

_"Hit me."_

"Okay, we're looking for a man with green eyes and an Irish background."

"And he probably has, or had a career or hobby that would require him to use his hands," Morgan added.

_"Okay, let's see what that gets us… Oh. Two names."_

"Does either have a scar on their cheek?" Morgan asked, remembering that detail from Maya's description.

_"Oh, score for my gorgeous hunk of chocolate. Leaves us with just one name, actually. A Daniel Markham. Lives in Fort Collins, and owns his own business…he builds custom furniture."_

"That makes sense with what Maya described – rough hands and that he smelled like wood," Prentiss said with a nod.

"Garcia, did he lose a daughter recently?" Reid asked.

_"Yeah. Oh…that's a sad story,"_ she replied, losing her usual bubbly demeanour. _"Wife died a few years back, and he really stepped up as a parent, but a recent home invasion killed his young daughter who was 6. It devastated him."_

"Well that's got to be his trigger. Brunette with green eyes, right?" Prentiss asked.

_"Right in one. I've got two addresses for him, home and work, both have been sent to your phones. Go catch this meanie-pants, would you?"_

"Thanks, Baby Girl," Morgan drawled.

_"Be safe, my loves!"_

"Okay, Rossi, Reid and I will take the work address. JJ, Morgan, grab Captain Shefte and head to the house," Hotch said. "He can send some backup to each location."

"Hotch I'm fi-"

"Prentiss, you were shot twice today. You're staying here," Hotch said firmly, interrupting Prentiss' protests.

She huffed in frustration and glared. "Fine."

* * *

"Morgan, look," JJ said, pointing to the house they'd pulled up in front of. "Lights."

"Bastard didn't think we'd be able to ID him," Morgan muttered. "Okay. Captain Shefte, you good to cover the backdoor with Agent Jareau?"

The Captain nodded. "Yeah, no problem."

"Good. I'll take the front. JJ, on your radio to coordinate entries."

"Got it," she replied with a nod before heading off to the back of the house with Captain Shefte.

Morgan crept up the front steps and drew his gun. He waited a few moments before speaking quietly into the mic. "JJ, you ready?"

Her voice crackled over the radio, "Yeah, we're in position."

"Good. Entry in 3…2…1."

* * *

"I don't think he's here, Hotch," Rossi said doubtfully, looking at the dark shop in the middle of prime business hours.

"Me neither, let's clear it and then head over to the other location," Hotch replied quickly, leading the way into the shop.

The three agents made their way through the shop and its backroom and workshop, finding no evidence the unsub had been there recently. They holstered their weapons and jumped back into the car, heading over to Markham's home address to hopefully assist in his arrest.

* * *

"DANIEL MARKHAM! FBI, STOP!" Morgan yelled as he saw the suspect make a break out the backdoor, bowling over a surprised Captain Shefte in the process.

As Morgan took off after him, he found himself chasing the man for the second time that day, but this time Markham didn't have such a large head start. This time half of Morgan's mind wasn't focused on worrying about his partner that he couldn't see, and he wasn't trying to navigate through a crowd. These things made all the difference as the two wound their way through the neighbourhood streets, and Morgan found himself quickly gaining on the suspect.

When they rounded another corner, Morgan realized he was close enough and seized his opportunity, hurling himself at Markham. He wrapped his arms around Markham's waist and with the help of his momentum, Morgan pinned him to the ground.

"STOP RESISTING!" Morgan yelled as he fought to restrain Markham's arms that were flailing around, seeking contact with Morgan's head.

"Like hell I will," Markham spat as he twisted around and managed to land a punch to Morgan's jaw. With Morgan momentarily stunned, Markham took his chance and scrambled to his feet, kicking back at the agent before taking off again.

"Shit," Morgan swore as he pushed himself to his knees. Suddenly there was a hand in front of him. He looked up to find JJ staring down at him.

"Come on, we've got an unsub to catch," she said quickly, pulling him to his feet.

They both began sprinting after Markham, with JJ edging in front of Morgan, her smaller frame and years of soccer training paying dividends.

"Stay with him," JJ said before veering off in another direction. Morgan's brow furrowed slightly at her tactics, but he redoubled his efforts, pushing himself to move faster and catch the son of a bitch that had shot his partner and got the better of him.

The chase continued as Morgan followed Markham around another corner and onto another street, his lungs burning painfully and his jaw beginning to throb. Suddenly Markham was thrown sideways as JJ tackled him, having come up a side street and blind-sided him. The two rolled few times before coming to a stop. Immediately Markham began to fight against JJ's hold, succeeding in flipping them over. He managed to land a punch to her face before Morgan hauled him off of her. Morgan struggled to keep him under control as Markham continued to fight against the agent, but all of a sudden he stopped his movements and his eyes widened.

"Move a muscle and I can guarantee she'll take that shot," Morgan warned after spying JJ's gun with his peripheral vision. "Do you really want to test her patience, given that you shot a member of our team today?"

"I didn't do anything wrong," Markham insisted.

"Then why'd you run?" Morgan replied, flipping him over and slapping handcuffs on him. He hauled him up to his feet and spoke into the mic, giving the rest of the team their location.

Morgan turned toward JJ and grinned widely. "Nice tackle there, soccer star. You sure you didn't play football in college?"

JJ mirrored his grin in reply. "Well I always did want to play for the Redskins…"

* * *

A few hours later JJ, Prentiss, and Morgan were sitting in the conference room at the police station, finishing up some paperwork. Rossi and Hotch were running the interrogation of Daniel Markham, and Reid had gone on a coffee run for them all.

"I bet that bruise is gonna have all the ladies in the clubs fawning over you," Prentiss remarked wryly, watching as Morgan examined his slightly swollen jaw.

"You know it," he replied with a wink. "How's your face holding up there, JJ?"

JJ groaned and pulled the bag of ice off her mouth. "I should've let you tackle him again instead."

Morgan chuckled, but turned his attention back to Prentiss. "I think you win though. You got shot. Twice."

"Don't remind me," she said with a shake of her head. "So you think Rossi is gonna break him?"

Morgan just shrugged. "If he doesn't, I will. Bastard shot my partner, he's gonna pay for that."

Prentiss arched an eyebrow. "Your concern is touching, but I think yours and JJ's tackles more than made up for that. The murder of those three girls however…he can rot in prison for that," she finished, her eyes hardening by the end.

"Hear, hear!" JJ mumbled into the bag of ice and winced at the pain it caused. Morgan nodded solemnly in agreement.

Rossi walked into the conference room, rubbing his eyes.

"You get anywhere with him, Rossi?" Prentiss asked, looking up her paperwork.

"Finally broke him. He confessed to all three, and the fourth attempted abduction, but asked for special consideration in where he'd be sent. Apparently he's got a few notorious enemies at a couple prisons that he'd like to avoid."

"So he dealt for that?" Morgan chimed in.

Rossi nodded. "Yeah. Hotch is helping to work out the details."

"So I can let the boys know we're good to fly back tonight?" JJ asked, grabbing her cell phone in anticipation and dropping her bag of ice onto the table.

"Thankfully, yes," Rossi confirmed.

"Good. I'll let them know," JJ said, holding her phone up to her ear and heading out of the room.

"Oh, and he says he's sorry for shooting you, Prentiss."

She arched an eyebrow. "Yeah right," she scoffed. "No one fires a gun behind them three times without meaning to shoot someone."

"Well, at least you'll get some time off," Morgan supplied with a shrug.

"I'd rather not have a couple extra holes in my body, thanks," she grumbled as she focused back onto her paperwork.

* * *

After filing the appropriate paperwork and receiving profuse thanks from the Captain, the team made their way onto the jet and got comfortable for their ride home.

"How's it feeling?" Morgan asked as he slid into the seat across from Prentiss and nodded toward her side.

"Hurts like a bitch, but it's nothing that a nice glass of wine – or a few – can't fix," she said, meeting his gaze.

"Mixing pain meds with alcohol? Now that's my kind of party," he quipped, shooting her a quick wink.

"Ugh," she groaned. "Who said anything about inviting you?"

"Hey! I took down that bastard for you."

"For me? And here I thought we were taking him down to protect the 6 year olds of Fort Collins," she replied drily with a roll of her eyes.

He shot her an unimpressed glare. "Come on now, you know that isn't what I meant."

"You're so gullible sometimes, _partner_," she teased.

"You- Oh come on."

"Besides, from what I hear, JJ was the one who took him down," Prentiss said teasingly.

"It was a _team _effort."

She chuckled and winced as it jostled her wound.

"Hey, can I get you anything? You need your pills, or a blanket or anything?" Morgan asked, his concern for his partner growing.

"I'm good, Morgan. Thanks though," she said sincerely, meeting his gaze.

"You sure you don't want some tea?" Morgan asked with a twinkle in his eye, as a thought occurred to him.

"No, like I said, I'm good," she said slowly, clearly a bit confused.

"Really? Because you seemed awfully excited at the prospect of a tea party when you were chatting with Maya…"

"Oh, come on, Morgan," she said with an irritated sigh and a shake of her head.

"I'm just saying, I'm sure JJ and Baby Girl would be more than happy to have some tea with you sometime."

"I'm never gonna live this down, am I?"

"Did you really have a princess dress?" Prentiss glared in response. "Oh, you totally did, didn't you? Ha! Little Emily Prentiss was a princess! I bet you danced around the house in your dress and dreamed of being swept off your feet by Prince Charming, didn't you?"

Prentiss continued to glare, but the tiniest of twitches tells Morgan his words had hit the mark.

"And what's this you were telling her about a princess dress you have now? Now _that_ is something I _need_ to see," he said, wagging his eyebrows at her.

"Oh, I'm sure you would, Morgan. Unfortunately, despite what Garcia may think, Prince Charming you are not, so no princess dress for you."

"You wound me, fair lady," Morgan replied teasingly.

"You know, now that I think of it, I'm feeling pretty tired, so I think I'll just get some sleep."

"Whatever you say…_Princess,_" Morgan said with a wink. She groaned loudly and turned to look out the window.

Morgan grinned when he realized she was right, she was _never_ going to live this one down, because he was never going to let her forget it. He may have called Garcia "Princess" a time or two, but in his books there was a new owner of that nickname, and she now had full and exclusive rights to it, whether she liked it or not.

* * *

**_"I think every young girl at some point in her early life wonders what it's like to be a princess." – Julie Andrews_**


End file.
